Shelly-Ann P.
1/5
Stay away from this lawyer. He has a serious lack of integrity - he is all about how much money he can make. He shares confidential information and speaks to people who have no legal status or right at all. He racks up excessive amounts in disbursements, having used companies that charge a lot more than others, without regard for the extra costs billed to clients. He doesn't provide a retainer agreement, as required by the Law Society, and then bills the client's parent $650 an hour (when his hourly fee was never disclosed to the client, was not agreed to nor would the client agree to using a lawyer whose hourly rate is so much higher than other personal injury lawyers) after he took instructions from someone without capacity, which he surely should have realized didn't have capacity given statements made, contrary to evidence in medical reports. Other lawyers certainly realized there was a capacity issue, as did the Office of the Guardian and Trustee. Personal injury claims are always done on a contingency fee basis where the lawyer takes a percentage of the compensation the injured party receives. Having breached Law Society rules by not providing the client with a contingency fee agreement, which is routine in personal injury claims, and taking instruction from someone without capacity, he billed his outrageous fee of $650 an hour, without disclosing his hourly rate, or he would never have been retained. As a paralegal of over 30 years who has worked in personal injury law and knows personal injury claims are almost always done on a contingency fee basis when it is King's Bench claim, not a minor claim being heard in what is now called the Court of Justice, not only was it discussed from the onset that he was being retained on a contingency fee basis, and the only way this lawyer would be hired, it was admitted that the contingency fee agreement had been prepared and was in their file but had never been given to the client to sign. It is for that reason he got away with billing $650 an hour, which was never disclosed to the client as no fee agreement of any sort was provided. In respect of his taxation hearing, unfortunately, the new taxation officer is pro lawyer and sides with lawyers, unlike the past taxation officer, Joe Morin, who recognized the over billing of lawyers and was neutral, rather than being biased towards lawyers. The matter should have been appealed and likely would have been successfully appealed, given other lawyers comments about it being obvious there was a capacity issue when he took instructions, and given the admittance that a contingency fee agreement had been prepared but was not provided to the client. It takes time and money to appeal so he got away with it. A transcript can be provided to back up the comments made, along with other evidence. IT IS BASED ON FACTS - IT IS NOT SLANDER AT ALL.
DO NOT USE THIS LAWYER. THERE ARE GREAT PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS AT MACLEOD LAW, CUMING & GILLESPIE, BRAITHWAITE BOYLE, DIAMOND & DIAMOND, who are transparent and do follow Law Society rules, are conscientious about costs to the client, and don't share or discuss confidential information with third parties who have no legal right to the information and no legal status at all, like Harris Hansen has.
